


Getting Ready to Fall

by misura



Category: She's the Man (2006)
Genre: F/F, Yuletide Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-09
Updated: 2017-11-09
Packaged: 2019-02-01 08:18:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12700998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: "Um," said Duke. "Hey.""I think I'm in love with your girlfriend when she was pretending to be a boy," Olivia said.





	Getting Ready to Fall

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Linsky](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linsky/gifts).



"I'm sorry," Olivia said. "Your brother is really nice, but he's just - " _Not you._ Bad idea, to put it like that, as if she was - as if the problem was that - " - such a guy sometimes."

Viola nodded, like she understood. It was a very Sebastian sort of nod, except not really, because Sebastian had been Viola all along, and the Sebastian she was dating, the Sebastian she'd kissed in a fit of spontaneity and recklessness was definitely, definitely not Viola.

 _Right. This isn't complicated at all._ Still, only an idiot wouldn't see how well Viola and Duke went together, how much they had in common. It was a pity that Duke was a terrible kisser, but then, relationships weren't just about whether or not someone was a good kisser.

"Not to be pointing out the obvious, but it so happens that he _is_ , in fact, a guy, so you'd better listen to your mother next time when she tells you to settle before you're old and bitter and alone," was what Viola didn't say.

Instead, what she said, "Tell me about it," which was totally a Sebastian thing to say. Except not.

 

"This is ... nice," Duke said, in a tone that suggested he didn't think it was.

"Yeah," Sebastian said. "Double date with my sister and her boyfriend? Awesome."

Olivia had managed to slide in next to Viola, thanks to a combination of excellent planning and a few pointed looks in Duke's direction. Unlike Sebastian, at least Duke seemed to be able to pick up a clue - unless, of course, he didn't actually _want_ to sit next to Viola, where the two of them might get their hands all over each other just to show how in love they were.

"Sooo," said Viola. "Soccer?"

Sebastian raised his hands. "Spare me, I beg you."

"What's wrong with - " Duke said. "I think soccer is - it's - you know."

"Your life? Your deep and abiding passion?" Sebastian suggested, then jerked, as if someone had kicked him under the table. Someone other than Olivia, that was.

_I guess playing soccer's really good for learning how to kick._

Duke's expression turned a little sulky. "Dude. You don't have to, like, make a song out of it. I'm just saying - well, you say something, then."

"Yeah, bro," Viola said. "Like, well, anything. Music?"

"Hah," said Duke, which was fair, Olivia thought. Duke was okay, really, for a guy. Shy and awkward and a total jock, but basically a known quantity. She'd made up her mind about him three years ago, and he'd consistently proven her right.

Sebastian, by contrast - the real Sebastian, not Viola, kept reminding her of how much better she'd liked him when he hadn't been the real Sebastian.

"Okay then," Viola said. "This is fun, right? The four of us, just hangin'. We should do this more often."

"T-totally," Duke said, with that stutter he always got when he was lying.

"Sure," said Sebastian. "Like, how about never? C'mon, Vi. This isn't cool. This is awkward. I go out on a date with my girlfriend, I want to - you know."

"Dude!" Duke said. "Not cool!"

 

Cool, Olivia thought, was an excellent word. It had such a wide array of uses.

For example, Viola as Sebastian had been cool. Sensitive, sweet, caring and emotionally intelligent. The kind of guy Olivia would have been happy to date and kiss and let put his (her?) hands all over her during a date, provided he (she?) was nice about it.

Sebastian as Sebastian was cool in the sense that the only thing he ever got passionate about was his music. He was a nice guy, and his lyrics were nice, and he had nice manners when he wasn't being a guy, but he wasn't hot.

Duke, finally, was cool in the sense that when he was around Viola, he seemed less nervous and awkward and more chill. Olivia bet he didn't ask _Viola_ whether or not she liked cheese. She bet they actually talked about things. Serious things. Like, if Viola sort of missed being Sebastian, she'd be able to talk about it with Duke, and Duke'd be cool with it.

He'd probably say something like, "Well, if that's how you feel, that's how you feel."

"Yeah," Olivia said. "Sorry." _Sorry you were such a huge, huge disappointment._

_I guess I should have known a guy who dated someone like Monique out of his own free will wasn't really my type, no matter how touched I was by some lyrics he wrote years and years ago._

_It's not me - it's you._

Sebastian shrugged. "Hey, don't worry about it. Things happen. People fall in love with my sister."

Olivia blinked. "Excuse me, what?"

"I said, don't worry about it. Things happen," said Sebastian. "So. We cool?"

 _Like ice._ Olivia nodded.

"Guess I'll be seeing you around, then," he said, and just like that, she'd dumped him.

 _One step down, one to go._ Not that Viola and Duke were ever going to break up, probably, so she might as well resign herself to her fate now: guys like Sebastian, who'd been actually Viola, didn't exactly come a dime a dozen; she'd had her chance and blown it, so now -

_So now is the time to bring the blood and pain. To accept that while I may not have been born in greatness and with the capability of winning the love of a girl pretending to be a boy, I may yet have that capability thrust upon me._

 

"Um," said Duke. "Hey."

"I think I'm in love with your girlfriend when she was pretending to be a boy," Olivia said.

"Oh," said Duke. Sebastian - the fake Sebastian would have asked questions, helped her to understand, to put her feelings into proper words. "Well. You know. She's not. Doing that. Ever again."

_Did Duke Orsino just actually manage to get out a whole sentence while talking to me?_

"You ever miss her? Him?" Olivia asked. "Just - I could have kissed him! Her! Then now I would have had that much, at least. A bittersweet memory, of what once was but may never be again."

"Er," said Duke. "Yes? No? I'm sorry, I don't really understand the question. Are you telling me you're a lesbian? Because, I mean, that's ... okay?"

_Truly, we live in a time of miracles._

"Wow, that is just so nice of you. To be okay with me being a lesbian."

Duke looked - _all right, maybe that was a little bit unfair._

Olivia sighed. "Sorry. Nerves. And, I mean, I don't _feel_ like a lesbian? Does that make sense?"

"Ah," said Duke. "Not ... really?"

_I suppose even a miracle has its limits._

"Look," said Duke. "Maybe you should talk about this with, you know. A girl. Which I'm not. Oh, and Viola's not my girlfriend. Just. FYI."

Olivia stared at him and imagined bringing him the blood and pain. Vividly. "You couldn't have led with that? God, Duke. You're such a - such a - "

"Yeah," said Duke. "Well, at least I know, you know? So, you know. I know. And that's something."

_Clear as mud, you mean? Because sure, it's that._

 

"Um," said Viola.

 _Oh no! It's contagious!_ Olivia swallowed and forced herself to slowly count to ten. "I wanted you to know. Just in case."

"Okay, cool," said Viola. "Er, in case of what?"

"In case you ever decide to pretend to be a boy again, I would be pleased, even honored to be your girlfriend," Olivia said, slightly relieved.

"My _pretend_ girlfriend," said Viola. "Right?"

Olivia summoned a smile. "Wrong."

"Oh," said Viola. Her eyes widened slightly. "Oh! Right! Um, wow. Sorry, let me just - a bit of a surprise. Because, you know, I know that when I was pretending to be a boy, you sort of kind of liked me a lot, but then it turned out I wasn't me, my brother was, and I sort of kind of got the impression you liked _him_ a lot. I mean, you kissed him and everything. That's kind of a big thing."

"I kissed like a hundred guys at the kissing booth," Olivia said. _And not a single girl. Ugh. Don't lesbians go to carnivals? Or was one of those guys I kissed actually a girl, too, and did I fail to notice because I hadn't figured out I liked to kiss girls yet?_

"Good point," said Viola. "Very good point. Because, you know, I kissed Duke, and look where that got me. For the record, he's not actually a bad kisser. Way better than Justin - though, well, low bar. That whole thing with the drowning and the - totally not true."

"Oh," Olivia said. "Okay. Well, thanks for clearing that up."

"Any time," said Viola. "So."

"So," Olivia said.

"Want to celebrate coming out by making out with a really hot girl?" said Viola. "You know, for practice."

"Practice sounds like a good idea," Olivia said.


End file.
